Special Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Fluff Frosting ~ Gluten, Egg & Dairy Free

Today is a triple special day, it's my A-Maisie-ing Maisie's eighth birthday, it’s Improv Cooking Challenge reveal day AND after weeks of neglect I'm finally adding a new recipe to the blog. How appropriate is it that this month for the Improv Cooking Challenge our hostess Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker challenged the participating bloggers to make any recipe of their choosing using the specified ingredients of cake & frosting! She must have known that it was my girl's day and that she adores cake and frosting.

Of course Maisie with her allergies, I had to make her special treats gluten, egg & dairy free...but still delicious. These cupcakes were a big hit with my girl and since I made them just for her, I only frosted one and then wrapped and put the extras in the freezer to be thawed, frosted and enjoyed another day.

Special Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Fluff Frosting ~ Gluten, Egg & Dairy Free

• 1 1/2 cups pitted dates
• 1 1/2 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk
• 1/4 cup coconut cream
• 2 tsp. vanilla bean paste
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 5 TBS. Hershey's Special Dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Frosting:

• Marshmallow Fluff
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350F.

Using a food processor, combine the dates, almond milk, coconut cream & vanilla bean paste, pulsing until you have a smooth and creamy paste. In a separate bowl whisk together the rice flour, corn starch, cocoa powder, baking powder & salt. add the wet to the dry ingredients. Beat the mixture by hand for two minutes. Portion the batter into 4-6 cupcake liners.

Bake 15-20 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting. To make frosting, stir together the desired amount of Marshmallow Fluff and flavor to taste with cocoa powder and a pinch of salt. Pipe frosting onto cupcake and decorate with sprinkles.

Enjoy!

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:

• September 2013 Macaroni & Cheese: Creamy Mac & Cheese, Gluten, Egg & Dairy Free
• August 2013 Vanilla & Chocolate: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats with Vanilla Coconut Frosting
• July 2013 Peaches & Herbs: Peachy Cola Ribs
• June 2013 Fish & Chips: Salt & Vinegar Crab Cakes
• May 2013 Cinnamon & Sugar: Cinnamon Bun Cookie Bars
• April 2013 Bacon & Eggs: Mini Bacon & Swiss Quiche Cups
• March 2013 Carrots & Peas: Mom’s Beef Vegetable Soup
• February 2013 Hearts & Flours: Three Ingredient Fudgy Nutella Brownie Bites
• January 2013 Bananas & Nutmeg: Baked Bananas
• December 2012 Chocolate & Marshmallows: White Chocolate Marshmallow Cranberry Cashew Bark
• November 2012 Sweet Potatoes & honey: Sweet Potato Glass Noodles with Honey Garlic Lime Shrimp
• October 2012 Oatmeal & Raisins: S’mores Granola Bars
• September 2012 Zucchini & Brown Sugar: Zucchini with Onion & Brown Sugar
• August 2012 Tomatoes & Peppers: French Fries Hash Browns
• July 2012 Corn & Butter: Fritos Crusted Pollock
• June 2012 Cherries & Almonds: Dried Cherry Almond Tart
• May 2012 Strawberries & Cream: Strawberry Soup
• April 2012 Peanut butter & Jelly: Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars
• March 2012 Potato & Cheese: Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole
• February 2012 Ginger & Carrots: Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
• January 2012 Lemon & Sour Cream: Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart
• December 2011 Eggnog & Cranberries: Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter
• November 2011 Pumpkin & Cream Cheese: Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake
• October 2011 Caramel & Apples: Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

 

Creamy Mac & Cheese, Gluten, Egg & Dairy Free

I swear that the weeks are passing faster than I can keep up as here we are again at the third Thursday of the month and it’s Improv Cooking Challenge reveal day.  Years seem to be passing quickly too as this post is also my 24th reveal in this challenge, so two full years and not a month missed…yay me!!

This month for the Improv Cooking Challenge our hostess Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker challenged the participating bloggers to make any recipe of their choosing using the specified ingredients of pasta & cheese!  Sounds simple enough but this was a tough one for me but shoot I wasn’t going to miss this month and break my posting streak.  The reason that this month was difficult was, I haven’t been eating pasta in any form, nor have I been eating cheese or any of it’s fake versions, Maisie has her allergies and only eats non-wheat pastas and non-dairy cheese and Eammon, well he eats pasta but doesn’t care for cheese at all.  Then I got to thinking about it and before we found out about Maisie’s allergies, one of her favorite foods was good old mac & cheese.  Well right then and there I decided it was time to make an old favorite for my girl in a Maisie “safe” version so that’s exactly how this recipe came about.  I added one of her new favorites to the dish for some added protein, sweet Italian sausage.  This dish was made exclusively for my Maisie and she just adored it, delighted to have an old and new favorite meal all in one bowl.

Creamy Mac & Cheese, Gluten, Egg & Dairy Free

• 8 oz. gluten free pasta, elbows, shells or small penne 
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk 
• 2 cups Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds, divided
• 3 TBS. non-dairy margarine 
• 3 TBS. golden flax seed 
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard 
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder   
• salt & pepper, to taste
• sweet Italian sausage, grilled and sliced

Prepare pasta according to box directions.  Once the pasta is tender, drain.  In the now empty pot melt the margarine and whisk in the flax seed, mustard and garlic powder until you have a thick paste.  Whisk in the almond milk until the sauce is smooth and creamy.  Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the Daiya and stir until completely melted.  This may take a while as Daiya cheese takes a lot longer to melt compared to real cheese.    Stir in the pasta and coat with the sauce.  Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of Dayia and stir to incorporate. Add salt & fresh ground pepper to taste.  Add sliced grilled sweet Italian sausage and serve.  

Enjoy!

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:

August 2013  Vanilla & Chocolate:  Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats with Vanilla Coconut Frosting
July 2013  Peaches & Herbs:  Peachy Cola Ribs
June 2013  Fish & Chips:  Salt & Vinegar Crab Cakes 
May 2013  Cinnamon & Sugar:  Cinnamon Bun Cookie Bars  
April 2013  Bacon & Eggs:  Mini Bacon & Swiss Quiche Cups 
March 2013  Carrots & Peas:  Mom’s Beef Vegetable Soup 
February 2013  Hearts & Flours:  Three Ingredient Fudgy Nutella Brownie Bites
January 2013  Bananas & Nutmeg:  Baked Bananas 
December 2012  Chocolate & Marshmallows:  White Chocolate Marshmallow Cranberry Cashew Bark    
November 2012  Sweet Potatoes & honey: Sweet Potato Glass Noodles with Honey Garlic Lime Shrimp 
October 2012  Oatmeal & Raisins:  S’mores Granola Bars   
September 2012  Zucchini & Brown Sugar:  Zucchini with Onion & Brown Sugar 
August 2012  Tomatoes & Peppers:  French Fries Hash Browns 
July 2012  Corn & Butter:  Fritos Crusted Pollock 
June 2012  Cherries & Almonds:  Dried Cherry Almond Tart 
May 2012  Strawberries & Cream:  Strawberry Soup 
April 2012  Peanut butter & Jelly:  Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars 
March 2012  Potato & Cheese:  Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole 
February 2012  Ginger & Carrots:  Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing 
January 2012 Lemon & Sour Cream:  Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart 
December 2011 Eggnog & Cranberries:  Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter 
November 2011 Pumpkin & Cream Cheese:  Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake
October 2011 Caramel & Apples:  Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies